Abstract

Background: The addition of bevacizumab to chemotherapy has proven efficacy as first-line treatment for advanced NSCLC. Whether this combination still be efficient as salvage treatment for NSCLC patients who have not received bevacizumab previously remains unclear. This retrospective matched-pair study was designed to compare the efficacy and safety of chemotherapy plus bevacizumab with chemotherapy alone as third-line treatment or beyond for NSCLC patients.

Methods: Patients with stage IV NSCLC who had received single-agent chemotherapy plus bevacizumab after failure of at least two prior regimens were enrolled in this study. Each of them was matched with two patients who had received chemotherapy alone (1:2) by age (within ±5 years), sex, smoking history, histology, EGFR mutation status and number of prior regimens. Tumor response rate, survival and toxicity analyses were performed.

Conclusion: The combination of chemotherapy and bevacizumab can be an efficient alternative salvage treatment for NSCLC patients who have not received bevacizumab previously. But taking this combination as first-line treatment for advanced NSCLC still should be a priority.<!–EndFragment–>